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No. 454,387. Patented June 16,1891.

UNTTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

HENRY SOGGS AND CLAYTON SOGGS, OF JAMESTOXVN, NEV YORK, ASSIGN- ORS OFTVO-THIRDS TO XV. PLACE.`

AS. CAMERON AND C. E. VEEKS, OF SAME MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,387, dated June 16,1891. Application filed November ll, 1890. Serial No. 371,080. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY SOGGS and CLAYTON SOGGS, of Jamestown, in thecounty of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers; and we do hereby declarethat the following' is a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it roappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and. to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon. which form part of this specilication.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mail-bag catchers.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing thereceiving-receptacle and its support beside the track, also the catchingand delivering apparatus. Fig. 2 isa horizontal section of thereceiving-receptacle. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation of theupper portion of the receivingdrum, looking into the opening thereof andillustrating a mode of loosely and independently mounting the swingingdoors on the central shaft.

The car is provided with a catcher-arm a, preferably such as describedand claimed in 3o our application, Serial No. 348,776, filed April 21,1800, having an end extended back to receive the upper eye or loop ofthe bag to be delivered, and with a gravitycatch pivotally mounted onsaid arm to extend over said end and prevent the loop of the bagslipping off the end, except when the catch is lifted by means of adownwardlyextendin g lower arm of said catch.

At the proper location beside the track a 4o suitable and rigidlysupported and mounted vertical sha-ft ct is secured, and at its upperend is provided with a vertically-swinging mast D', pivoted within itslength to a plate or casting on. the upper end of said shaft, so thatits lighter end will be normally held up by the opposite end and canswing into a horizontal position extending toward the track. The outerfree en d of this swinging arm is provided with a pivoted finger c',pro- 5o jecting beyond the end of the arm and capable of swinginghorizontallso as to extend either up or down the track. Upon this shaftand a suitable base a rotary receiving receptacle or drum e is centeredand mounted. This drum is closed on all sides except one, on which sideit is open, and is closed at the bottom, and is partially open at thetop, in continuation of the side opening forming two substantiallyradial edges to engage and raise the releasing-catch of the catcher-armcarried 6o by a passing` car. This top opening allows the bag-carrier bythe catcher-arm of a moving car to enter the receiving drum or cylinderbefore it is dropped. The exterior of the drum at the longitudinal edgesof the opening is provided with a pair of rigid guiderods f j, extendingparallel with said vertical edges, and upon which rods verticallymovableslide-blocks g g are. located and provided with horizontal pivotedlingers 7L.

The proportions of the drum and supporting-shaft are such that the outerend of the swinging arm when in a horizontal position will be in ahorizontal plane above the catcher-arm of the car, and the top of thedrum will be in a horizontal plane to be out by the said lower arm ofthe releasing-catch as the train passes the drum.

As a train passes a station provided with this device, a mail-bag isantomatioallydeliv- So ered from the car into the rotary receptacle anda mail-bag is caught from the swinging arm and delivered into the car.

The operation of the device is as follows: The mail-bag from the stationhas its upper loop hung on the fingers c of the swinging arm, said armbeing swung into its horizontal position and its lower loop caught underthe iinger tof the block gat the edge of the receiving-opening next therailroad-track, 9o the receiving-drum being swung so that its open sidewill face toward the direction from which the train will approach. Theinail-bag is now in position to be caught and delivered into the car.While approaching the station the upper loop of the mail-bag to be leftat the station is caught on the rearward extension of the catcher-arm bylifting the upper arm of the catch so that the loop can be placedthereon. The catch will then drop to its roo normal position by gravityand the end of its upper arm will extend down over the rear end of saidextension and hold the bag thereon. The bag hangs vertically from saideX- tension a distance from the car. The bag is thus in position to bedelivered into the revolving receptacle and the catcher rod or arm 1s 1nposition to receive the bag from the station. When the train reaches therevolving drum, the bag on the end of the catcher-arm passes into theopening of the revolving drum and the front edge of the top engages thelower arm of the releasing-catch, thereby swinging up the other arm andits end from the end of the rearward extension of the catcher-arm, andthe loop of the inail-bag is pushed from said extension by engaging thetop of the drum and falls into the receptacle, and as the car proceedsthe catcher arm catches the bag to be taken from the station and drawsit from the iingers c and 7i. The straight pivoted fingers c and hfirmly hold the bag and yet quickly and easily releases it when thecatcher-arm engages it. The rotary drum can be turned to receive a bagfrom a train approaching in either direction, and by reason of itscapacity of rotation it breaks the force of the bag delivered from thetrain as it is whirled around when the bag strikes its inner side,thereby preventing all injury to the bag and drum.

The revolving receptacle may be provided with a pair of internalswinging leaves, doors, or partitions9 9,as shownby the cross-sectionalView. These doors are hung loosely on the central shaft a at their inneredges, so that they can be independently swung to close the opening intothe receptacle, and thereby kaeep out snow, ice, dirt, &c. The detailview, Fig. 3, illustrates how these doors are independently hinged tothe main shaft so as to freely swing thereon independently of eachother, each door having one or more collars 2 rigid with its inner edgeand loosely embracing the central shaft and resting on a collar 3, rigidon such shaft, whereby the doors are loosely supported, so that they canbe easily and freely swung to close or open the receivingopening of thecylinder or drum.

The receiving-receptacle can be provided with a suitable light or othervisual signal at night.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the form andarrangement of the `parts described without departing from the spiritand scope of our invention. Hence We do not wish to limit ourselves tothe precise constructionherein set-forth.

What We claim is- 1. In combination, in a mail-bag receiver, the rigidvertical shaft and the horizontallyrotatable receiving-receptaclecentered on and mounted to rotate around said shaft, said receptaclebeing closedat the bottom and having a side opening and a radial topopening in continuation thereof, for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, the vertical rigid shaft having thevertically-swinging arm at its upper end provided with a finger at itsouter end, and the hollow horizontally rotatable receiving-receptaclecentered and rotatable around said shaft and having the side openingwith vertical rods on each sid-e thereof, and fingers verticallyslidable on said rods.

3. In combination, the rigid shaft, the vertical bag-receiving drummounted on said shaft to freely rotate with the shaft passing centrallythrough the drum, said drum having a longitudinal bag-receiving openingin one side, and the two freely-swinging doors or partitionslongitudinally located within the drum, as set forth, for the purposedescribed, and at their inner edges loosely and independently mounted onsaid shaft.

4. In a mail-bag receiver, the combination of the rigid vertical shaft,the verticallyswinging arm on the upper end thereof to hold the bag tobe delivered, and the vertical rotary drum mounted and centered on saidshaft to freely rotate, said drum being hollowand having a bag-receivingvertical opening in one side, as set forth, said drum having means todetachably hold the lower end of the bag to be delivered to the car.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY SOGGS. CLAYTON SOGGS. lVitnesses for Henry Soggs:

JAMES L. WEEKS, HENRY C. KINGSBURY, Jr. Vitnesses for Clayton Soggs:

A. G. BEANDNER, FRANK R. CARTER.

